Big Risk? I don't think so sweetie

Apr 25, 2007

Hi Doctor Bob,

I recently read in the paper, a story about HIV and high risk behaviors. This article was picked up by the general press and is now out there. This so called educator who counsels students said "Oral sex is a big thing with this young generation, and it's a big HIV risk." I find this statement dangerous and misleading to the young people out there. One could read it as, well, if oral is a big risk without a condom and vaginal/anal sex is a big risk without a condom, I am going to take the big risk of vaginal or anal sex. Don't these people have obligation to state the facts that oral is a very low risk and a "safe" alternative to vaginal and anal sex. I just thought I would share that with you. I bet she is a big bush supporter. This is exactly why we need to push the funds from abstinence only education to real sex education in this country.

Would love your comments. I will jump off my soap box!

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi,

I agree false statements and incomplete or misleading information can be very dangerous. Isn't that how we wound up in Iraq??? As for people having an "obligation to state the facts," well, unfortunately not. For example, the Vatican continues to "inform" people that condoms have holes big enough for HIV to swim right through and Dubya meanwhile tells us all that Alberto ("Torture Boy") Gonzales is doing a heck of a job! See what I mean? As for abstinence-only sex education programs, for which the federal government has been spending $176 million per year, it's recently been shown once again they have zero effect. That's right, zero! A study carried out by the nonpartisan firm Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. tracked 2,000 young people over several years and found that abstinence-only sex education classes had absolutely no effect on when kids took the plunge, so to speak. (It turned out to be 14.9 years, whether or not they had abstinence-only sex education classes). And so our $176 million per year has been wasted on another "faith-based" rather than science-based program. You're doing a heck of a job, Dubya!

As for jumping off your soapbox, don't! Stay up there and tell it like it is loud and clear! Science and common sense will eventually vanquish myth and fantasy.

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